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The situation of children in transition countries (CEE/CIS region)

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States have experienced momentous change since 1989 - change that has had a direct impact on the lives of ordinary people and their children. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of communism catapulted these countries into a new era of political, economic and social reform. Concerned that children may be overlooked in the upheaval, UNICEF created a monitoring project at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in 1992 to gather and analyse relevant data on the changes that were taking place in social conditions and in the public policies affecting them. The project, now known as the MONEE Project (Monitoring in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltics), uses the most authoritative data available to highlight the human impact of the transition, advocating for measures to protect children from economic and social fallout and ensure that they share in the benefits of economic growth. While the project has a special focus on children, is also aims to documents changes in living standards among all groups.

The project has grown in scale since 1992, when it focused solely on Central and Eastern Europe, and now covers all 27 countries in transition. The work is carried out by a small research team at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, working with external consultants and with the central statistical offices and research centres of each country in the region. At present, the Project receives financial support from the Government of Italy, the World Bank and the UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltics.

Publications

Innocenti Social Monitor 2009. Child Well-being at a Crossroads: Evolving challenges in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Publication

Innocenti Social Monitor 2009. Child Well-being at a Crossroads: Evolving challenges in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

The evolving and diverging challenges for the well-being of children after two decades of transition are examined. Following a long period of sustained economic growth and gradual improvements in living standards, the global economic crisis is now threatening to reverse some of the recent positive achievements and plunge households and children into another phase of uncertainty. Providing a comprehensive overview of the decade up to 2008 and discussing monitoring and data challenges for the region, the report aims to help support and guide policy debate and decisions in a period of economic crisis.
Innocenti Social Monitor 2006: Understanding child poverty in South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Publication

Innocenti Social Monitor 2006: Understanding child poverty in South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

This is a study of child poverty in a fast-changing region. Since 1998 almost all countries of the South-Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States region have shown signs of economic recovery. The numbers of people living in income poverty has fallen, living standards have generally improved and opportunities for many children in the region have expanded. Yet the study shows that not all children are benefiting from the economic growth and that Governments in the region need to give higher policy priority to tackling disadvantage and deprivation endured by children. The Social Monitor 2006 provides practical examples of ways in which children can be given distinct attention and visibility in the analysis of poverty and in policy priorities, while also stressing that data collection has to be improved and made more accessible in order to allow the impact of policies on children to be effectively assessed and addressed.
Children and Disability in Transition in CEE/CIS and Baltic States
Publication

Children and Disability in Transition in CEE/CIS and Baltic States

This Innocenti Insight looks at how children with disabilities and their families have fared in the rapidly changing environment of this region since transition in the early 1980’s. It builds upon the significant body of research and policy reflections accrued at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (IRC) with the support of national statistical offices in the 27 countries of the region. UNICEF IRC has tracked and explored the impact on children and their families of economic and social changes in the region since transition began. This report draws upon three new pieces of research that include data, a qualitative survey and first-person interviews.
Innocenti Social Monitor 2002
Publication

Innocenti Social Monitor 2002

Social Monitor 2002 reviews recent socio-economic developments in the 27 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It contains three articles: Social trends in transition: an update on trends in a range of topics including income and poverty, fertility, infant and adult mortality, enrolment in education and care of children at risk. HIV/AIDS and young people: awareness, behaviour and policy: focuses on the spread of HIV, and young people’s knowledge about HIV prevention. Quality of learning: towards “unilateral educational disarmament”?: examines new information to compare learning outcomes in transition countries and in the West. In addition, the Statistical Annex covers a range of indicators for the years 1989 to 2000-2001.
Attitudes to Inequality after Ten Years of Transition
Publication

Attitudes to Inequality after Ten Years of Transition

This paper compares people’s attitudes to inequality at the end of the 1990s – the qualities they perceive are needed to get ahead, the role of government and rewards for employment – in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Western countries. Data (from the 1999 International Social Survey Programme) suggest that overall, people in CEE express substantially more ‘egalitarian’ attitudes than those in the West, even after 10 years of economic adjustment to the market economy.
Poverty in the Transition: Social expenditures and the working-age poor
Publication

Poverty in the Transition: Social expenditures and the working-age poor

A combination of economic growth and committed revenue-raising should give most governments in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union considerable scope to devote increased resources to tackling poverty. We review the extent and nature of poverty across the transition countries, emphasising the phenomenon of the working-age poor. We consider governments' fiscal positions and revenue raising tools, including the issue of whether some countries now have levels of external debt servicing that are so high as to hamper social sector expenditures.
Preferences for Inequality: East vs. West
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Preferences for Inequality: East vs. West

Do preferences for income inequality differ systematically between the post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Western established market economies? This paper analyses 1999 data from a large international survey to address this question. In particular, we examine whether attitudes to inequality differ between East and West even after the 'conventional' determinants of attitudes are controlled for. Results suggest that this is indeed the case.
A Decade of Transition
Publication

A Decade of Transition

The Report provides a review of the first 10 years of transition, exploiting the fact that data are now available on many issues that cover the entire 1990s. The core chapters examine the record of the decade in four key areas affecting human welfare: income inequality and child poverty, health, education, and child protection. An introductory chapter analyses key economic and demographic trends. In each case, the Report summarizes developments to the end of the decade, discussing both the outcomes measured with statistical data and the policy options.
Single Parents and Child Welfare in the New Russia
Publication

Single Parents and Child Welfare in the New Russia

Single Parents and Child Welfare in the New Russia provides new evidence and analysis of the effects of this phenomenon of child welfare and assesses the social policy responses of the Russian government. The authors emphasize the urgent need for detailed country-level analysis of the situation at a time of great change and increased risk.
Children in Bulgaria: Growing impoverishment and unequal opportunities
Publication

Children in Bulgaria: Growing impoverishment and unequal opportunities

This paper investigates the changes that occurred in Bulgaria over the last decade in three dimensions of child welfare recognised as fundamental child rights - economic well-being, health and education. It then concentrates on particularly vulnerable groups of children - those born of teenage and single mothers and those living in institutions.
I giovani nelle società in trasformazione - Sintesi
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I giovani nelle società in trasformazione - Sintesi

'I giovani nelle società in trasformazione' analizza le esperienze della 'generazione della transizione', i 68 milioni di giovani tra i 15 e i 24 anni di età dell'Europa centrale e orientale e della CSI.
Young People in Changing Societies - Summary
Publication

Young People in Changing Societies - Summary

Young People in Changing Societies focuses on the experiences of the ‘transition generation’ - the 65 million young people aged 15-24 in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. They are putting the reforms of the last decade to the test as the first generation to complete their education, look for jobs and make decisions about raising families in a new socio-economic climate.
Young People in Changing Societies
Publication

Young People in Changing Societies

This seventh Regional Monitoring Report focuses on the experiences of young people during the transition. It examines the advantages and the obstacles youth encounter as they grow up in rapidly transforming societies. The Report covers a broad range of issues, including the participation of adolescents in education and of young men and women in the political lives of their nations.
From Security to Uncertainty: The impact of economic change on child welfare in central Asia
Publication

From Security to Uncertainty: The impact of economic change on child welfare in central Asia

Children are at the heart of Central Asian culture. Two out of every five inhabitants of the region are aged under 18. Yet relatively little has been written about the impact of recent political economic and social change on their welfare.
Education, Inequality and Transition
Publication

Education, Inequality and Transition

Evidence is considered on differences in access to education and in learning achievement within the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Analysis of the transition period focuses on the differences in access and achievement.
Regional Monitoring of Child and Family Well-Being: UNICEF's MONEE Project
Publication

Regional Monitoring of Child and Family Well-Being: UNICEF's MONEE Project

The paper outlines the goals, organization and methodology of one of the most authoritative attempts to monitor the situation of children and women in countries undergoing rapid social and economic change. UNICEF's MONEE project has been gathering and sharing this unique information since 1992 covering the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
After the Fall: The human impact of ten years of transition
Publication

After the Fall: The human impact of ten years of transition

This publication, produced to mark the tenth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, looks back at the impact of ten years of transition. It argues for a new focus on the human aspect of transition, and a rededication to its original goals - a better quality of life for every citizen in a humane and democratic society.

Project team

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Albania: mother's employment and children poverty

Armenia: employment of women having children and child poverty

Azerbaijan: occupation of women having children and child poverty

Belarus: employment of women and support of low-income households with children

Bulgaria: mother's employment and children poverty

Child and Family Welfare in Russia: Trends and Indicators

Child and Family Welfare in Russia: Trends and Indicators - Russian version

Child and Family Welfare in Tajikistan: Trends and Indicators

Child and Family Welfare in Tajikistan: Trends and Indicators - Russian version

Child and Family Welfare in Ukraine: Trends and Indicators

Child and Family Welfare in Ukraine: Trends and Indicators - Russian version

Children and disability in Albania

Children and disability in Armenia

Children and disability in Azerbaijan

Children and disability in Belarus

Children and disability in Bulgaria

Children and disability in Czech Republic

Children and disability in Estonia

Children and disability in Hungary

Children and disability in Kyrgyz Republic

Children and disability in Moldova

Children and disability in Poland

Children and disability in Romania

Children and disability in Russia

Children and disability in Slovak Republic

Children and disability in Tajikistan

Children and disability in Ukraine

Children in conflict with law in Azerbaijan

Children in conflict with the law in Moldova

Children in conflict with the law in Albania

Children in conflict with the law in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Children in conflict with the law in Bulgaria

Children in conflict with the law in Czech Republic

Children in conflict with the law in Hungary

Children in conflict with the law in Kyrgyzstan

Children in conflict with the law in Poland

Children in conflict with the law in Romania

Children in conflict with the law in Russian Federation

Children in conflict with the law in Slovakia

Children in conflict with the law in Tajikistan

Children in conflict with the law in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Children in conflict with the law in the Republic of Belarus

Children in conflict with the law in Ukraine

Czech Republic: mother's employment and children poverty

Employment among women with children and child poverty in the Republic of Tajikistan

Employment among women with children and child poverty in the Russian Federation

Estonia: mother's employment and children poverty

Estonian case: young people in transition. From risks to opportunities and participation

Family and child welfare trends in the transition period in Kyrgyzstan

Family and Child Welfare Trends in the Transition Period in Kyrgyzstan - Russian version

Hungary: mother's employment and children poverty

Kyrgyzstan: employment of women with children and child poverty

Macedonia: mother's employment and children poverty

Maternal employment in the Republic of Uzbekistan

Moldova: mother's employment and children poverty

Poland: mother's employment and children poverty

Poverty and Welfare over the 1990's in the Republic of Moldova: Indicators of Status and Trends

Poverty and welfare trends in Estonia over the 1990s

Poverty and welfare trends in Hungary over the 1990s

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Kyrgyzstan over the 1990s

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Kyrgyzstan over the 1990s - Russian version

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Moldova over the 1990s

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Moldova over the 1990s - Russian version

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Poland over the 1990s

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Tajikistan over the 1990s

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Tajikistan over the 1990s - Russian version

Poverty and welfare trends in the Republic of Belarus (1990-2000)

Poverty and welfare trends in the Republic of Belarus (1990-2000) - Russian version

Poverty and Welfare Trends in the Russian Federation over the 1990s

Poverty and Welfare Trends in the Russian Federation over the 1990s - Russian version

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Ukraine over the 1990s

Poverty and Welfare Trends in Ukraine over the 1990s - Russian version

Poverty and welfare trends over 1990s in Armenia

Poverty and welfare trends over the 1990's in Hungary

Poverty and welfare trends over the 1990s in the Czech Republic

Poverty and Welfare Trends over the 1990s in the Slovak Republic

Results of economic and social development in Azerbaijan in the 2000s

Romania: mother's employment and children poverty

Slovakia: mother's employment and children poverty

Social and economic development in Bulgaria in the year 2000

Social Trends: Romania in the '90s

Social welfare and family benefits in Estonia

System in support of children deprived of parental care in Azerbaijan

System in support of children deprived of parental care in Bulgaria

System in support of children without parental care in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Entity Analytical Report)

System in support of children without parental care in Albania

System in support of children without parental care in Armenia

System in support of children without parental care in Belarus

System in support of children without parental care in Czech Republic

System in support of children without parental care in Hungary

System in support of children without parental care in Kyrgyzstan

System in support of children without parental care in Moldova

System in support of children without parental care in Poland

System in support of children without parental care in Republika Srpska

System in support of children without parental care in Romania

System in support of children without parental care in Slovakia

System in support of children without parental care in Tajikistan

System in support of children without parental care in Uzbekistan

System in support of children without parental in Russian Federation

System of social protection of children without parental care in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

System, in support of children without parental care in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional level in Albania

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Armenia

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Azerbaijan

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Bulgaria

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Estonia

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Hungary

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Kyrgyzstan

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Macedonia

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Poland

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Romania

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Russia

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Slovakia

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Tajikistan

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in the Czech Republic

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in the Republic of Belarus

The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Ukraine

The Youth of the Republic of Moldova during the Transition Period

Trends and indicators of the child and family welfare in the Republic of Belarus (1990-1999)

Trends and indicators of the child and family welfare in the Republic of Belarus (1990-1999) - Russian version

Trends and indicators on child and family well-being in Armenia

Trends and indicators on child and family well-being in Bulgaria

Trends and Indicators on Child and Family Well-Being in Poland

Trends and Indicators on Child and Family Well-Being in Romania

Trends and Indicators on Child and Family Well-Being in Slovakia

Trends and indicators on child and family well-being in the Czech Republic

Trends and indicators on child well-being in Estonia

Trends and indicators on family and children well-being in Azerbaijan

Ukraine: general labour market assessment

Young people in transition in Armenia

Young people in transition in Hungary

Young People in Transition in Poland

Young People in Transition in Romania

Young People in Transition in Slovakia

Youth at transition period in Azerbaijan Republic

Youth of Bulgaria: some problems and risks during the transition period

Background papers

Children in conflict with the law in Armenia

Conferences & Meetings

The MONEE Project at UNICEF IRC: 1992 - 2009

Related

Innocenti Project(s) 2000-2002:

Monitoring in the CEE/CIS and Baltics: the MONEE project

Innocenti Project(s) 1997-1999:

Monitoring in the CEE/CIS and Baltics: the MONEE project

Innocenti Project(s) 1994-1996:

Monitoring in the CEE/CIS and Baltics: the MONEE project

Innocenti Project(s) 1991-1993:

Monitoring in the CEE/CIS and Baltics: the MONEE project

PROJECTS ARCHIVE